YENA "Want it? Tell me..." "please..." I tilted my head back and gasped for breath, moaning. I couldn't take my hand away, the intense heat from his body rushed into my fingers, stinging my arm, making my whole body warm. I don't know how he appeared, but the one I brought back to the cave was a wounded wolf. But when I woke up, there was only a stranger beside me, no wolf. Then we were uncontrollably attracted to each other's bodies— He shifted his weight towards me, and my fingers sank into the hot, bleeding wound. He let out a deep growl. I ran my bloodstained fingertips over his chest, which was covered in mud and matted into thick, rough hair. He brought his face closer, his lips against mine. His hot breath flooded my mouth, he touched my face, and ran a big rough hand down my cheek, along my neck and side. Resting his hand on the thick curve of my hip, he squeezed hard. My blood felt like it was on fire. I can't take it anymore. I gasped and lunged at him, and he wrapp
I followed Evan from the river down toward campus and met him by the football field, where he was packing up his stuff. He motioned for me to follow him. I opened my mouth to say something, but he turned and yelled to his team that he wanted them to show up early for the next practice. Evan was the team captain, and he loved to show off, bossing the other guys around whenever he had a chance, especially if there was any kind of audience there to watch. He stayed a few steps ahead of me as we walked home. Evan was like that sometimes. Ignoring me. Too cool. But I have to admit that overall, he’s been a good brother to me. I know he has a good heart. He’s always been embarrassed to be the fat girl’s big brother, especially since he’s always been popular. But he’s been there for me when I needed him. And he does nice things to surprise me, remind me he cares. Like buying my favorite chocolates for me and sneaking them into my bag when I’m not looking. I had to hurry to keep up with
The week went by in a flash, and next thing I knew, Susan and I were walking into the dance hall for the Full Moon Ball. The stage was lined with a red carpet that flowed down a few steps to the center of a well-polished dance floor. Golden chandeliers were heavy with candles that lit the room with a warm white glow. There were huge bouquets of red roses everywhere. A band was playing quietly at one end of the stage. The conductor was leading them to a slow tempo, waving his arms in a way that made them look boneless. “Thank you,” Susan said to me. “Thank you for this amazing dress. I knew you were good, but this is really next level.” She did look amazing. The dress had a fitted bodice onto which I’d hand sewn what felt like a million garnet colored beads that shimmered in the candlelight and almost looked alive. The skirt was crimson, floor length with a slit up one leg that stopped just below the knee. “It was nothing,” I replied. But the pale purple circles under my eyes betr
My stomach sank. This could not be good. The crowd fell silent, as if everyone were holding their breath. Evan, still near the stage, stepped forward. “Susan,” he said. His voice echoed in the now eerily quiet hall. “What are you doing?” Susan’s eyes, wide with rage, were fixed on me. “My dear friend Yena,” she continued, her volume increasing with every word, “has a dirty little secret. She told me she had a one-night stand with a rogue wolf just last week. She’s no longer a virgin.” All the air left my lungs. I felt like I’d been sucker-punched. Over and over again, by a swinging pendulum I couldn’t get out from under. Every moment, the reality of this situation felt more and more unbearable. I began to shake. My legs felt as though they were about to go limp. Everyone was looking at me. Then I was hit with a wave of that specific kind of anxiety I’ve felt often in public — the shame about my weight, my appearance — and had the strange thought that if I’d have known this w
“But she’s a human, not a wolf. How can she possibly marry a Lycan?” It was Caryn. She asked her question loudly, but with what could be mistaken for a polite and reverent tone. She flashed me a cruel, toothy smile before stepping back into the crowd of girls that were now encircling me and Nolan on the stage. Whispers coursed through the audience. Then a single voice rang out from the far end of the hall, crying, “This fat human girl has tricked and seduced our prince!” The crowd roared in outrage. Another anonymous voice shouted, “The Gamma warriors should arrest her! Lock her up at once!” A cry of support rang out amongst the nobles. The armed guards posted at the entrance paced a few steps forward into the hall. They were members of the king’s guard, known as Gamma warriors, and they were heavily armed. I swallowed hard. My palms were sweaty. Nolan smirked at the crowd. He withdrew his hand from mine, reached up, and ran it through my hair, letting a long golden curl sli
I couldn’t help it. I kept thinking about that night in the cave. The shockwaves of pleasure the stranger sent through me. The primal sounds he made. It was hard to reconcile that memory with the man I saw before me now. I remembered the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around me. His big hands on my hips. His hot breath on my neck. And his big dick. He seemed to have a good idea how to use it. “Wait…” I said, snapping myself back to reality. “Were you really a virgin before that night?” “Yes,” he replied flatly. “Seemed like… you knew what you were doing.” He raised his eyebrows. “Are you complimenting me?” His mouth twitched, resisting a smug smile. I hadn’t really meant to do that. “Alright,” he said, “If that’s the case, then what’s the problem? I would guess that this” — he gestured to the laurel crown, which he’d set aside, having missed the opportunity to put it on my head during the ceremony — “is the best offer you may ever receive.” I cleared my throat and said
His face was close to mine, and I felt his breath on my neck. It sent a shiver running down my spine. The reporters, kept at bay on the sidewalk, were snapping away with their cameras and talking loudly into microphones. I turned away and reached for the front door, but he kept pace with me and slipped his arm around my waist. It felt like it belonged there. His hands fit themselves around my curves so naturally. I guess because… he knew them. His arms were so strong. Every muscle along the whole length of them bulged. He smelled like pine and sandalwood, like he’d just stepped out of the forest. I remembered this smell from the morning after our night together in the cave. But no. I had to stop letting my thoughts drip down into that memory. Every time, it made me feel like I was melting. Every time I thought about the feeling of his hot, rough hands all over every inch of my body. The way he’d fucked me. Shameless and giving and desperate and wild. His incredible strength.
“You stop right there,” Tina said. She put my coffee down on the table in front of me, a little too hard. A blob of whipped cream slid off the top and started melting down the side. “Peter, you are not going to sell our daughter to settle a debt,” she said, staring daggers at him. “It’s okay,” I said, and I reached out to Tina. She pulled away. “It’s not okay,” Evan snapped. I already had the gold business card, and my cell phone, in my hand. “It’s actually my choice, alright?” I said. That got them to quiet down. I made the call. While it rang I took a few shallow breaths and tried to prepare what I was going to say. I didn’t plan to, but when the line picked up I just started talking before the prince could answer. The words just rushed out. “Hello Nolan — I mean, Your Highness — I changed my mind and I’m so sorry about what I said last night. If you’ll still have me, I’ll marry you, but I’ll need your help with something first and I just have to get it out, I need ten millio